A Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to accept legal mail on behalf of your Minnesota LLC in case your business gets sued.

In Minnesota, your Registered Agent will also serve as a general point of contact for receiving business and tax notices, payment reminders, and other documents.

Your Registered Agent must have a street address in Minnesota (PO Boxes are not allowed).

Your Minnesota Registered Agent must also be available during normal business hours (9am – 5pm) in case Service of Process arrives. Service of Process includes delivery of documents such as complaints, summons, and/or subpoenas.

Who Can Be Your Registered Agent in Minnesota?

When forming an LLC in Minnesota, you have 3 options:

Option 1:You can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.

Option 2:A friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.

Option 3: You can hire a Commercial Registered Agent.

Important: If your Registered Agent is going to be an individual (you, a friend, or a family member), that individual needs to be a resident of Minnesota.

How Do I Know Which One to Choose?

• If you have a street address located in Minnesota (such as a home or office), and are available during business hours, you can list yourself as the Registered Agent.

• If you don’t have a street address in Minnesota, you can use a friend or family member’s address. They need to have a street address in Minnesota and be available during business hours.

• If you don’t have a street address in Minnesota, and you don’t have a friend or family member’s address that you can use (or prefer not to), you can hire a Commercial Registered Agent.

Using a Commercial Registered Agent for your Minnesota LLC offers more privacy (keeps your address off public records) and is a more reliable setup.

Commercial Registered Agent

Why we recommend Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent is our personal recommendation (and the service we use ourselves) because they’ve been in business for over 20 years, have great customer service, and they let you use their address in your entire LLC filing in order to keep your address off public record.

How to keep your address off public records:

Many filers in Minnesota start businesses from their home. For this reason, it’s important to know that all addresses that are on your LLC’s Articles of Organization get listed on public record and may appear in google searches.

If you were thinking of using your home address, but would rather keep it off public records, you can hire a Registered Agent that will allow you to use their address throughout your Articles of Organization. Northwest Registered Agent offers this unique service at no additional cost. They offer Registered Agent services for $125 per year and they’ll let you use their address throughout your Articles of Organization.

Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded into your online account.

Special discounted pricing for LLC University® readers

Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we’ve negotiated a discounted rate (60% off) for LLC University® readers.

Special offer: If you hire Northwest to form your Minnesota LLC ($39 + state fees), they’ll include their registered agent service free for the 1st year.

Are there risks if you, a friend, or family member are your LLC’s Registered Agent?

In short, there are risks. They are not likely to occur, but if they do, you could lose your liability protection.

For example, if the Minnesota Secretary of State is unsuccessful in reaching your LLC’s Registered Agent, you may lose your good standing status, and the state has the authority to dissolve your LLC.

Additionally, if a process server is unsuccessful in reaching your LLC’s Registered Agent about a lawsuit (they’ll try a few times), the court case can proceed in your absence and you might not even know about it. Worse, the court could place a judgment against you if you aren’t there to defend yourself.

A few reasons a process server might not be able to reach your LLC’s Registered Agent:

you, your friend, or family member are not there during business hours

you/they are on vacation

you moved and forgot to file a Change of Registered Agent with the state

Hiring a Commercial Registered Agent is a more reliable setup and gives you the freedom to take vacations and not worry about changing your Registered Agent address if you move.

Many Commercial Registered Agents will also help keep your LLC in compliance by sending you reminders of annual reporting requirements.

References

Forming an LLC shouldn't be so complicated. Our step-by-step guide will make the process a breeze – and no complex legal jargon! LLC University® teaches people how to form an LLC for free in all 50 states. We hope you find our free guides and resources helpful in your business journey.

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.

2 Comments

Michelle SchmidtFebruary 12, 2019

I opened an LLC with Legal Zoom. Now they want $299 per year to continue as my Registered Agent. I would like to switch it to be myself as the Registered Agent. How do I go about doing that? Your help is appreciated!

Hi Michelle, you’d first change your LLC’s Registered Agent to yourself with the Minnesota Secretary of State. This can be done by mail or online. The mail-in form is the Notice of Change of Registered Office/Registered Agent. To file online, search your LLC name (visit Minnesota Secretary of State: Search Business Filings), search your LLC name, click “Details” to the right. Then click “File Amendment/Renewal” at the top. Then click “Registered Office and/or Agent – Limited Liability Company (Domestic)”. Once that change of Registered Agent is processed (about 1 week for mail filing, or 1 day via online filing), you can contact LegalZoom and request to cancel their Registered Agent services. Hope that helps!

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